# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1926_S17
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

of the Ev. Luth. Synodical Conference of North America. 1926. 17

"Looking up to him who in these ten years has blessed us so graciously
and richly, we pour out our grateful hearts before him
and look into the future in joyful hope of a rich
harvest, while the shadows lengthen in these last days
of the world."

34. Christ, Rosebud, Wilcox Co. (Country congregation. Founded
1916. Missionary: Charles Peay, since September 1921.) Here
our work in Alabama was begun in January 1916. This
congregation is our first and is also our largest in the Black
Belt of Alabama. It numbers 184 souls, 113 communicant members
and 20 voting members. Since Rev. Peay is giving lectures in the North in the
interest of our Negro college in Greensboro, N. C., Superintendent
Schmidt* serves this and the two other stations of Rev. Peay:
Oak Hill and Hamburg. Let us hear what our Superintendent says about
these three stations: "In these three congregations we have 348
souls, of whom 218 are confirmed members. The services
are attended on average by about 225 persons. The number of
guests at the Lord's Table is astonishing. In the first six months
of the present year no fewer than 578 guests appeared,
that is, each confirmed member has come on average more than twice
in the half year to Holy Communion. Do we have within
our Synodical Conference any white congregation that can show such
a record? And the contributions? Here too
we find that the spiritual life of the three congregations in question
is healthy. These three congregations have, namely, in the first half
of the current year raised $768.72, an increase of $342.50
compared with the first six months of the year 1925. Each
confirmed member, including the young boys and girls as well as
the very old 'Uncles' and 'Aunts': each confirmed member has given
on average 60 cents a month for church purposes.
When we consider that the Negroes in the Black Belt are among
the poorest of the poor; when we further consider that
many of the confirmed members are very young people; and when we
finally consider that as many as six and seven come from one house,
then we must confess that in these gifts of these poor people we have
a glorious example of love for the Saviour and his church!

"In the schools of these three congregations 202 pupils are taught by
five teachers. One can hardly imagine what
streams of blessing flow from these schools into the spiritual drought of the
Negro huts in the Black Belt. One example may show
this: Some time ago I visited an old 'mammy', a member
of our congregation at Oak Hill. Because of her great age she can
no longer attend church. Her eyesight is poor, her hearing
still poorer. When I wanted to give her private communion in her cabin,
I first read her the hymn verse: 'Chief of Sinners though
I Be'. [Printed in English.] After the communion service the old grandmother asked me to leave the
hymnal. "Can you read too?" I asked. No, she
could not read. Later I learned that her grandchild came running
through the woods every morning on the path that leads to the grand-
mother's door. And what did the child do there? It sat down and read
to the grandmother from the Biblical History and the hymnal.
The child is only eight years old. So our school children bring to their
parents and other relatives the glad tidings of salvation in
Christ. In our mission schools hundreds of little